A Very Busy Rescue Saturday

In the space of just four hours during the last Saturday of 2017, mountain-rescue teams had to carry out five separate rescues on the Sierra Nevada

Around 12.00h a mountain climber coming down the western face of Mulhacén lost a crampon and hurt his ankle. Faced with a field of ice and only one crampon he decided he needed a spot of help. Sereim, the Guardia Civil, mountain-rescue team were soon on the scene and escorted him to the mountain refuge Refugio Poquiera.

Then at 14.15 a climber had an accident between Puntal de Siete Lagunas and Laguna de la Mosca causing head injuries and a broken elbow; he had been descending alone when he slipped 100 metres. He was evacuated to the new PTS hospital in Granada.

Things were hotting up because at 14.30h another rescue team had to rescue a married couple in the Laguna Hondera area. The man had a badly cut hand and the woman had suffered a broken leg. They were airlifted to the PTS in Granada.

There was no let up because at 15.00h a climber who had been scaling the central passage of Alhori ended up with serious lacerations to both legs. He was also whisked off to the PTS.

Finally, at 16.00h a man on a sledge in the Valle San Juan lost control of it and ended up badly injured and was evacuated to the PTS.

And that’s just one day.

Thank God for the Guardia Civil, mountain-rescue teams and other emergency units!